White Christmas Ball

This weekend we went to the White Christmas Ball at the Bach Field House, which is connected to the CU stadium. It was themed after the Bing Crosby movie White Christmas that was made in the 1950s. It was a really fun time and there was attendees of all ages! The music was an orchestra and they did scenes from the movie with other entertainers. There was also swing dances and vintage military vehicles!

Thanksgiving Adventure

Again, I have been a little slow with the blog posts. I started off the holiday season by going to see The Rockettes with my friend Melisa. We had a fun time and I had flashbacks to the Highstepper days! We also had a great trip home for Thanksgiving. The trip began in Panama City then we headed to Dothan and up to Birmingham.

We went skiing this past weekend. The early season snow has been extremely good, so it was really fun. We didn't get a 5 Mountain Pass this year since we are trying to venture out some more in the state of CO. We did get a four pack to Loveland and went there on Sunday since Chris did a tele clinic. I really like Loveland and took some pics!

October Happenings

I got a little lazy with the blog, so this will be a random catch up of events from October. The month started off with out of town guests for the Georgia v. CU game. It was so much fun having Tim and everyone else in town. It was also a very exciting and fun game. We cheered for CU and were happy when they won...we are season ticket holders and all!

Chris took a climbing trip with some friends in the middle of the month. He was on the South Platte River near Colorado Springs. He had a great time and did his first lead climb. I better hurry up and learn how to climb outside so I will see Chris on the weekends!

We went out for a few hours on Halloween. I really have been wanting to be a disco ball and I pulled it off. I knew I did okay when strangers were stopping and asking to take a photo. This year was a trial run. Next year, we are going to get a group to be a moving dance floor down Pearl Street. Chris decided to be a bearded woman. It was very funny. His dress fit so well it was scary. He got hit on more than once...not sure if they were joking or serious. Chris was starting to get a little uncomfortable!

Lastly, our neighbor brought us over a huge bag of green tomatoes. I decided I better figure out something to do with them besides fried green tomatoes. I made green tomato salsa, green tomato verde sauce with enchiladas, and even green tomato bread.

Music and Mountains

This weekend we hung close to home so we could watch some football Saturday. On Friday night, we headed up the road to Lyons to see the Hi Beams play at Oskar Blues. It was a really fun time and we camped out by the St. Vrain that night. Saturday, we ate a very good breakfast at The Buff. Their slogan is "east in the buff". Man v. Food went there on his episode to Boulder. Chris ordered the Saddlebags, which were pancakes full of stuff...even Bacon. On Sunday, we headed up to Gold Hill for a benefit concert. It was sunny, hot and a great day for that community. However, the drive was very sobering. It is amazing the town is still standing. The burned areas look like you are on another planet.

An Update from This Week

I am ready for Chris to get home, but have been keeping myself entertained. Last Sunday, I went on a Beer Tour with my friends Melisa and Brian. It was a really, really fun time. We visited Upslope, Twisted Pine, and Avery. The mode of transportation was Banjo Billy!

On Saturday, I went to the CU v. Hawaii game with Kevin and Julie. It was a slow start, but the Buffs turned it up in the second half. It was a rather chilly day, but the sun came out the second half. My favorite part is Ralphie running out on the field. However, they had three F-16s do a fly over after halftime. It was really cool!

Today, I headed down to Pearl Street to do some shopping, but most importantly to attend the parade to honor the firefighters from the Four Mile Fire. It was a very moving event and had a great community feel. The streets were lined up with citizens cheering and lots of homemade signs by kids. We owe them so much!!

Football & Four Mile Fire

We started off the holiday weekend by attending the CU v. CSU game. It was fun to go to Mile High to watch it and CU won, but the rivarly did not compare to the SEC. However, we will be going to the CU v. GA game in October and we've heard every hotel room in town is already sold out!

Chris had some co-workers in town through out the weekend, so we hung out around town. It was nice since there was a lot going on. On Monday, we took Megan and Mike on a hike. We were headed to Bear Peak when we noticed smoke. There is a huge fire burning right outside of Boulder. There is 3,500 acres burned already and it is 0% contained. Pray for rain since 63 structures including many homes have already burned...not good!

Iron Girl 2010

I had my final tri of the summer this past weekend. It was a really great race and was nice to have the venue in our backyard! I didn't make Chris go, but had a great group of ladies to hang out with thanks to my training friend Erin. I was very happy with my times although I still have some work to do with the run. I finished the 450m swim in 8:06 min and was 60 out of 616! I finished the 17 mi bike ride in 58:09, so below my goal of one hour. I did the 5K run in 31:21 Min, so I little better the my last one. My final time was 1:41:53. I placed 170 out of 616, so not too bad considering it was in Boulder.

It has been a while since I did a post. I have some catching up to do. This was a really fun week. My parents flew out on July 31st and were in town for the Tri for the Cure on August 1st. It was a great race day. I still struggle with the run, but I had a really strong finish in the swim and bike! We had a really great time with my parents!!

Happy Fourth!

I hope everyone had a Happy Fourth of July! We went up to a 'Twang Fest in Gold Hill for the day. It was a really fun time. We arrived in time to see the parade, get some food, and hear some fun music. Speaking of food, we found some real deal "soul food" in Denver last weekend. We were in Denver and checked out a restaurant I had read about in a magazine. The owner is from Anniston, AL. They had pig feet, ox tails, frog legs, catfish...we just stuck to fried chicken, which was a great awesome!

Telluride Bluegrass Festival

On Wednesday night, we headed towards Telluride to go to the 37th Bluegrass Festival. We made a side trip to Silverton and Ouray via the Million Dollar Highway. This was our first trip to the San Juan mountains and it was awesome!

The festival was perfect....sunny skies, fun friends, great crowd, and awesome music! On Thursday, we made it to the festival grounds in time to see Dave Rawlings Machine, Del McCoury Band, and then Alison Krauss & Union Station. We then left to go see Josh Ritter play a late night show at a bar in town. It was a cold bike ride back to the camp and I am glad we brought the Motrin PM because it was a rowdy campground well until the early morning hours!

On Friday, we made it to the ground about 11:00 AM and found a spot near the trash...there was no smell and the view wasn't bad! Chris really liked the band 18 South. We left for a while then came back to see Hot Rize and then the Court Yard Hounds, which is the sisters from The Dixie Chicks. They put on a good show. Lyle Lovett was next and he really had the crowd going. We were all pretty tired from a long day in the sun so we headed back to the camp.

Saturday was my favorite day! Chris and I woke up early and headed to town to get in line for the "tarp run". People get in line for it starting at 10:00 PM the night before...craziness. They pass out numbers for the first 550 people, but we didn't make that cut. We did manage to get a good spot, headed to the high school for a $4 shower, then ate some lunch and went back to the festival. We saw Jerry Douglas' set and the Imelda Ray from Ireland had the crowd on their feet singing some Johnny Cash. We met up with some Boulder friends and enjoyed some happy hour margaritas. It was a nice break from the sun. We headed back to see Yonder Mountain String Band, Bela Fleck and the Sam Bush Band, which was one of the best sets all weekend. The night ended with one of our favorites...Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros. They ended about 12:30 AM and we didn't make it back to camp until 2:00 AM. The bus ride to camp was very entertaining to say the least!

Sunday was another great day. Chris and I went early to see The Drepung Monks perform. It was entertaining and educational in regards to the issues of Tibet. The next group we saw was the Carolina Chocolate Drops. They play traditional "porch music". It was very entertaining! The day just kept getting better with the Punch Brothers featuring Chris Thile (from Nickle Creek), Bradi Carlile, and then Mumford & Sons. They were beyond awesome! Brian and I scored third row seats for it. They had the whole place on their feet when they played "Hey Jude", which was fitting since they are from England! We headed back to camp after that since we were all tired. We ran out of Motrin PM, but luckily Amanda had some Advil PM. Good thing, because the camp jam sessions lasted well past 3:00 AM.

This is such a great festival and I look forward to going back!

Float Trip - Green River in Utah

We left on Thursday night and headed towards Utah to do a float trip down the Green River. We made it to the Island Reach campground just before Grand Junction about 12:30 AM. It was an happening place and we soon realized it was because it was so windy no one could sleep. We made it to the drop in Friday mid-day then waited several hours while the vehicles were driven to Mineral Bottom. We made it in the water that afternoon and it was VERY windy. It was a challenge with the raft and we were a little scared. However, the rest of the weekend was warm and sunny with no much wind, so we were able to float and really enjoy the river. It was a very fun group and it was a great weekend!

Just an Update

There hasn't been too much activity to report here in Boulder. It has been a very cold and wet spring. The temperatures have been unseaonable low and it keeps snowing! Hopefully, this is the end of it and spring will be here to stay. We had tickets to an outdoor music festival and campout, but skipped it on Friday and Saturday due to the weather. I am glad we did since there were tornadoes in the area on Saturday night.

Happy Birthday Mom! Get Better Soon Dad!

Saturday Happenings

The weather hasn't been able to make up its mind...it keeps going from warm and sunny to cold and even snowing. I am ready for Spring to stay! It has been a fun week with Ms. Slaughter in town. On Saturday, we met up for breakfast while Chris was climbing. He had a great time doing his first climb at Eldorado near our house. I went with Melisa and some other friends to watch the Derby. I made a couple of "Derby Pies" that were goooooooood.

Fun at the Beach

Last Wednesday, I flew down to Pensacola and spent a few days with college friends at my parents' condo in Hidden Dunes. We had a really fun time. The weather was windy, but really nice all but one day. We had some really good dinners and some fun dance sessions in the condo. Luckily, Mom and Dad were able to come down with the grandkids since Melissa and Brian were in LA for the week. I enjoyed seeing them as well! It was a very fun trip!

Spring Has Arrived!

Chris had his first field trip for Rock School this weekend. The weather was a little cold and rainy on Saturday, but otherwise he had a great time. I decided to stay in Boulder this weekend as well since it is just too warm to go skiing and the snow is not very good anymore. I am glad I did since I was able to go to a baby shower for a friend in Boulder. On Sunday, Melisa and I went to the Mile High Flea Market. It wasn't exactly what we were expecting...we kind of felt like we had crossed over to Tijuana. However, I lucked up and found a piece to convert into a TV Stand and Melisa found some cute silverware.

2nd Annual Beer, Babes, & Blades

We had the 2nd Annual Beer, Babes, & Blades this past Saturday. Since it was April, we were thinking a warm and sunny spring day on the beach at A-Basin. However, I don't think the temperatures ever got out of the teens and it snowed the entire day. Regardless, we still had a really fun time. The snow was great and the blades are so easy. I was even going down double blacks on them. Can't wait for next year!

Backcountry Trip to Francie's Cabin

This weekend we did our first backcountry hut trip. It was really fun to be away from the busy resorts and meet new people (the cabin was full at the max occupancy of 20). We went to Francie's Cabin, which is just outside of Breckenridge. The hike in is only two miles, but really steep. With the short distance, we were able to carry in luxury items such as wine, lots of food, camp slippers, etc. The toilets were indoors and it had a really nice sauna. I think I was a little spoiled! Before heading out on Saturday, I did some snowshoeing down in the valley with Dave and Lara. Chris and Josh skinned up and took some turns. While we were doing that, Brian climbed the ridge of the mountain on the other side. I am in need of new ski boots and after this weekend we decided I am going to get AT boots so I can ski in the backcountry as well.

Weekend Snow

It started snowing during the early morning hours on Friday and didn't stop until late that night. We got about 10 inches at our house. We ventured out on Friday night and it was cold, cold, cold. However, it warmed up the rest of the weekend and was nice outside. Chris woke up with his neck hurting really bad on Saturday, but it started getting better Sunday night.

Veggie News and Skiing

Chris and me have started eating vegeterian during the weekdays with some occassional meat during the weekends. We found some good recipe books so it has actually been very enjoyable! This past weekend my friend from college, Mike Caudill, came to town early for work and we headed up to the mountains. We had some fun spring skiing. The ski wasn't so great in the morning, but it softened up in the afternoon. It was sunny so it was very nice grilling and hanging out outside!

Ski Trip & San Francisco

We had a fun trip to San Francisco over the weekend with Chris' work. Before leaving, Chris' co-worker David Todd and his wife Leslie came to visit us in Colorado. We had a fun time skiing and Keystone and Breckenridge. We even had a fondue dinner on top of the mountain. San Francisco was a fun time. The weather started off a little cloudy, but was really nice on Sunday. We did a lot of walking...a lot!

Day at Breckenridge

We headed up to the mountains again this weekend. We had a fun time, especially on Sunday with our friends Becky and Whitney.

A Walk In the Woods

Chris had a long week in Florida for work. He came home Friday and we decided to take it easy this weekend. I wasn't feeling too good, but I think it is just a cold. Chris climbed Bear Peak on Saturday and today we went to Green Mountain. The trail was pretty icy and it was VERY windy, but a good time with nice views.

Sledding Fun

We had another fun weekend in Silverthorne. However, we didn't ski much (me not at all) since the snow is so bad. It is icy and lost of exposure from rocks. We need snow!! We did have a fun time sledding and cooking out.

A Dog's Life

The dogs had a fun time up in the mountains this weekend. We took them out for a walk around the neighborhood and they really enjoyed playing in the snow. We did some skiing, but there is a real need for more snow! We were a little tired on Sunday since we went to a concert in Breckenridge on Saturday night. It was two rockabilly bands, Deadbolt and Reverend Horton Heat. It was a good night for people watching, especially since we were on the outskirts of the mosh pit...I am too old for such things now!

Back to the Slopes

We took Ms. Slaughter up to Keystone last weekend and headed back up there for the holiday weekend. We finally made it up to our rental house that we have through April, which has been great. It is really nice having the dogs with us and a place of our own for the season. I was really glad we had it since I-70 was a parking lot on Saturday and the trip to Denver was over 6 hours long!